Rifle Scopes Recommendations for a $2500 budget

[rmbstyle]

I have been looking around for a good scope to put on my 6.5 creedmoor and am trying to stay below $2500. I am leaning towards the S&B 5-25x56 PM II/LP but I also have been hearing some great things about the lesser expensive Athlon Cronus BTR. Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[NewsShooter]

Well the Cronus is almost half that price. but you've got lots of choices at that price, pick your poison and you're good to go, there aren't any bad scopes in that price range.

 

[Deleted member 10043]

Ior

 

[stwcattle]

The S&B you mentioned would be a fine choice as would a NF ATACR 5-25x56

 

[fdkay]

The Cronus gets get reviews, as does the Sightmark pinnacle (likely made in the same factory).
If you have S&B money, I don't see how you can go wrong with an S&B.
The Razor II is also in that price range, and it is a very good scope.
USO has done some recent updates t their offerings as well.

 

[steve123]

I have both those scopes.

A little more refinement in the S&B. Most everything on it is bacon and butter good. It does have tunneling between 5x and 7x but the only time mine is that low is when I want to make sure I don't hit the chronograph, so basically a non issue.

The Cronus BTR that I have doesn't have the second revolution indicator like that of the S&B and is "very slightly""" less refined in a few nitpicky ways. I can resolve more on 29x with the Cronus but the colors are warmer in the S&B glass with a nod to clarity for S&B. Turrets are more refined on the S&B but the 10 mil turrets on my Cronus are still very distinct, audible, line up perfectly, and have ample tension. The Cronus is more compact, lighter weight, has """daylight bright illume""" and the reticle thickness is thin-ish. I can choose where to set the zero stop with the Cronus but S&B is .5 mil below.

I can't say for sure because I don't know what the future holds but I doubt I'll be able to talk myself into buying another brand new S&B.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

We are running a holiday sale on both Athlon and S&B so please feel free to give a call to discuss SH member pricing

Thank you for your continued support.
If there is anything else we can assist you with please let me know.
Doug
Camera Land
720 Old Bethpage Rd
Old Bethpage NY 11804
516-217-1000
Please visit our website @ www.cameralandny.com

 

[Hondo1]

Razor gen 2. There are plenty of people out there who don’t like the weight but that is generally the only down side you will hear. Great glass, reticles, turrets, reliable, and a bad ass warranty if you ever need it.

 

[lancetkenyon]

S&B.

I have two S&Bs. 5-25x56 PMII DT & 3-20x50 PMII MTC LT.

I have shot behind a few Athlon Cronus. While they are great for the money, to me, there is no comparison.

A used or sale Kahles K624i Gen 3 would be great as well.

I did not care for my Vortex Razor Gen 2 4.5-27x56 either. Good scope, just had a few characteristics I did not care for. Weight, glass was not as good as I thought it should be, more on par with the Cronus than my S&Bs, color was off a bit. Everything else was good though.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

Look really hard at the XRS2, which should be shipping shortly. The prototypes and production versions I have been able to get behind were excellent, with glass on par with the Gen2 HDs and high end Nightforce offerings.

 

[davidwiz]

With some calling around, you might be able to get a new Kahles K624i for close to that.

 

[CSTactical]

For a little above that, you have many options from Kahles, Nightforce and Minox from us as well

 

[jbailey]

I would use the Used PX here on the Hide. Killer deals. 5-25 Schmidts close to $2000. Just about anything else you want. Great community here - take advantage of it

 

[demolitionman]

Look really hard at the XRS2, which should be shipping shortly. The prototypes and production versions I have been able to get behind were excellent, with glass on par with the Gen2 HDs and high end Nightforce offerings.

I've looked and can't find an MSRP on these new Bushies. Any idea of the price?

 

[hypno02]

I'd definitely consider the Cronus for that price. A used night force in that price range is gonna have the garbage milR reticle. You don't want that headache.

 

[kristian55]

Razor gen 2.

I have been looking around for a good scope to put on my 6.5 creedmoor and am trying to stay below $2500. I am leaning towards the S&B 5-25x56 PM II/LP but I also have been hearing some great things about the lesser expensive Athlon Cronus BTR. Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks

 

[drglock]

I was recently in your situation, had $2500 to spend. I already had a Gen 2 3-18 and was going to get a Gen 2 4.5-27 as well. Then I saw what the prices where on the S&B pmii. They where the same price as a Gen or slightly less. I ended up getting a S&B pmii5-25 with the P4F reticle. It’s a tad lighter than the Razor and to me slightly better optics to my eyes. I’m really glad I made the decision to get the S&B.

 

[Gilly]

I’ve got a like new Kahles 624i in PX it’s a great scope. Price is well under your budget and room for a mount with money to spare. Couldn’t get into a new Kahles with your budget. Might be worth looking at. S&b would be my next recommendation. Used scopes are at a huge discount to new right now seems like, so why take the depreciation when you can buy one without taking that hit in same condition? If you buy new and decide to sell it will hurt trust me.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I've looked and can't find an MSRP on these new Bushies. Any idea of the price?

MAP is $2250.

 

[airdog99]

I purchased an IOR Valdada Recon 4-28x50 after seeing one on another members rifle at my club. I was blown away after he let me send a few rounds down range on his Tikka 6.5cm. The 40mm tube on the IOR is a game changer... I found it online for $2899 (rings, tax, shipping incl.) It's a little over your $2500 budget but you'll thank me later

 

[hk dave]

As the knight in Indiana Jones would say, “you chose poorly”.

 

[snarkscarbine]

Your price range allows you to get pretty much anything you want, excluding TT and Hensoldt and a few S&Bs. I've used a decent number of the scopes listed thus far in this thread, and I can tell a difference. If you've got $2500 you want to spend, skip all of the "bargain" scopes and Go straight to the ATACR, PM2, or ZP5. There are other great scopes out there, but if you're cool with spending $2500, none of those scopes are really contenders with those 3.

 

[kthomas]

For a little above that, you have many options from Kahles, Nightforce and Minox from us as well

Call these guys, they can hook you up with a good price on a quality optic. I bought my most recent Khales from them for just north of what you are looking for, brand new. Cheaper than all the used Khales on the PX forum here.

 

[CSTactical]

Call these guys, they can hook you up with a good price on a quality optic. I bought my most recent Khales from them for just north of what you are looking for, brand new. Cheaper than all the used Khales on the PX forum here.

Glad we can be of assistance!

 

[The King]

This thread reminds me of "I have a free sex certificate with any of the current playboy bunnies...which do I choose?"

I like the Nightforce for its toughness. I like the glass and reticles on the Kahles. I would say hunt used for a while.

 

[patriot07]

This thread reminds me of "I have a free sex certificate with any of the current playboy bunnies...which do I choose?"

I like the Nightforce for its toughness. I like the glass and reticles on the Kahles. I would say hunt used for a while.

ROFL

I agree, it does seem like a different type of question (definitely a valid one - don't want to make a mistake at this price level). I've never looked through any scopes this expensive, so I'm interested in reading these replies.

 

[The King]

I'm down to the point where I only own Nightforces. I do that for a particular reason, which is identical reticles in all cases everywhere. I have standardized on the Mil-R. So the 2.5-10, 4-14, and 4-16 ATACR all get the same reticle.

I really do think the 4-16 ATACR is pretty special. Small and low profile, it fits a carry it around system pretty well, and matches the 6.5CM capabilities to a T.

I haven't broken a Nightforce other than running one over with a truck in a class once. That ripped the rail off the top of an AR10 when it happened, so I tolerate it's failure without complaint.

 

[airdog99]

To the original poster:

Although I'm fairly new to this forum I thought I might share my 30+ years of shooting experience... Take it or leave it.
I have owned cheap scopes, expensive scopes and plenty in between. I have nothing to gain and I certainly do not represent any brand of scope (like some others here). These are just my personal observations and recent story from a new scope search and purchasing experience.

I had heard of but never considered an IOR scope until I ran into one of the old timers (Ben) out my local range back in late September. Ben was a couple of benches down from me at my local range when I noticed this large but compact scope riding on top of his rifle. During the break, I went over and asked him what scope he was using... the first words out of his mouth were, "Son, if you've never looked through a Valdada, you'll never know what a true tier 1 scope is". After spending a couple of minutes chit chatting he suggested I "take a look"... after a minute or so of viewing targets at 600 yards and Ben invited me to send a few shots down range... I was almost sold on the spot. I got home that evening and started researching and pricing the IOR Recon. In the past 10 years, I have invested over $20K in some of the more popular scopes and optics for my various rifles. 12 scopes in the past 10 years that include upper mid to high end scopes like... Vortex HD Gen II, NightForce ATACR, Leupold VX-6HD, Steiner, etc. I've always bought scopes at local gun shops or Bass Pro/Cabela's/Midway, Sheel’s, etc. Actually, its 13 scopes now if you include the Trijicon 1-8x28 Accupower that I just picked up for a new AR build, but that's another story....

Anyway, I've never come across any IOR scopes locally and I've never seen one on the range until I ran into Ben. I had planned to saddle my new Tac A1 with another one of the higher end glass options that I'm used to. Actually had it narrowed down to either an S&B PM II, Vortex or NightForce prior to knowing anything about the IOR scopes. I have a buddy that loves his PM II and I've had a chance to use it multiple times. I'll have to admit it is impressive and the "Limited Edition PSR" version was pushing to the top of my list (mainly because I've never owned one) but I was still holding back... Why don't they offer the PSR in black??? Anyway, that was all before I learned about the IOR.

For me, the 40mm tube (no tunneling from top to bottom) on the 4-28x50 IOR Valdada Recon and parallax adjust on the tube is a game changer! It's worth every penny...IMHO. My buddy is now seriously considering selling his PM II and purchasing the IOR after playing around with mine and shooting it when I was sighting it in. I think another trip or two to the range with my IOR and him smoozing over his wife will seal the deal for him.

I've had the gun and scope for about 2 months now and I can't thank Ben enough for turning me on to the IOR Recon. I've only had time to put about 200 rounds down range so far but I am more impressed with the gun and this badass scope every time I shoot it. This might be the best $2900 (rings, tax and shipping included) that I have ever spent on Tier 1 glass. I was also looking at a SPUHR mount for it but the included rings are actually pretty damn good. It may not have the bells and whistles that other scopes offer but the excellent turrents, glass, build quality and lifetime warranty offer everything I need.

Search "IOR Valdada Recon" on YouTube and find the comparison of the "Vortex Razor HD2 and the Valdada Recon".

I'm sure most of you have already seen it but, the $70,000 scope field test done by the guys at PRB is worth reading. I know, some of the nay sayers here will try to pour poo poo on this test but no one has ever done anything near the extensive scope testing as these guys have. If someone has, I haven't come across it. The Valdada was the ONLY scope on the list to get a PERFECT score in mechanical performance and it was #2 over all out of the 18 scopes tested in Mechanical and Optical performance combined. These are two most important qualities for me.

Like I said before, I am not knocking any other high end scopes, I own may of them I love them for the platforms I them set up on. I have nothing to gain here, only sharing my experience. When you are spending significant cash on a quality optic you need to get away from the "hype", "fanboys" and "haters" that spew their BS.
If you can find a way to invest the extra $400-500 you will be well served...

Good luck in your search.


Here's a few pics of my "poor choice" that someone mentioned above? If I continue to make poor choices like this I'll consider myself doing quite well...



Tikka Tac A1 with the IOR Valdada Recon... I added an extra pic of the IOR next to a friends Nikon 3-9x40 for a tube comparison

 

[Jeffd]

S&B scope that you mentioned is what I would go with.

 

[The King]

I just hate it when my shit breaks in a match I drove 600 miles to attend. Even though I had a backup it wasn’t near as high end an optic as the IOR. So no more IORs for me. They do have very very good glass. And maybe they fixed their issues with terrible mechanical reliability (According to the Optics Reliability Survey numbers that were kept here in the hide, the failure rate of IOR scopes was approximately 3 broken scopes for every 2 sold - SB sold 12 scopes for every one that broke, and Nightforce Sold 9)

Nice rifle choice, BTW.

So I am a fanboy - of reliability. I got tired of always wondering if a problem was me or the gun or the ammo or the optic.

 

[airdog99]

I've been shooting the IOR Recon on my Tikka Tac A1 from 100-600 yards for nearly a year now with close to 1600 rounds downrange. Did a repeat of a tall target test this weekend on the Recon and Tikka Tac A1 with a couple of the new 2018 B2B Box to Bench scope targets. Still tracking perfect... up-down, left-right and all again in reverse order. Even dialed criss-cross (upper right to lower left, upper left to lower right, and all again in reverse)
Tracking is still dead on and a calm breeze allowed .5 to .75 MOA five shot groups at 100 yards.
I've been impressed and have already decided to saddle my next .338 Lapua build in January with the new Recon G2... stay tuned.

 

[6.5Neoloki]

Leupold MK5 HD 5-25

 

[m1match]

I would also consider the Vortex AMG. I have the S&B 5-25 DT H2CMR, S&B 3-20 MTC H2CMR, Kahles K624i, and Vortex AMG and I enjoy using all of these scopes equally. For matches, I mostly shoot the Kahles K624i and Vortex AMG because they both have christmas tree reticles that I find easier to use on the stages where we either aren't allowed to dial or don't have time to dial the elevation. The AMG is pretty lightweight at around 28 oz., glass is excellent (resolution is great, lens coatings leave colors more muted than the S&B or Kahles), tracking is excellent, and turret feel is excellent.

 

[lancetkenyon]

Buy the best you can get in your budget. Anything less will be a disappointment and will leave you wanting the other.

 

[roamin]

The glass on the Cronus was nice everything else about the scope was not. If it was me I'd gladly spend the extra $800 for the S&B, an AMG, ATACR, or find a deal on a 624i for even less.